The invention relates in general to a door mechanism for an animal trap, and more particularly to a door mechanism that upon release closes the door of the trap and then provides a restriction to prevent opening the door of the trap.
From time immemorial humans have sought better ways of removing unwanted animals from inhabited areas. Mice, rats, and other rodents, as well as wild animals, such as, squirrels, feral cats, raccoons, all have been and will continue to be unwelcome guests for home owners and business owners alike. Many have sought methods and devices in attempting to address this problem, in fact, this pursuit is so well recognized in modern culture that the proverbial xe2x80x9cbetter mouse trapxe2x80x9d has become associated with virtually any creative pursuit.
Animal traps, including mouse traps, exist which permit the humane capture of animals. Humane capture is especially desirable for the trapping of rodents, such as mice or rats, that may inhabit human dwellings. Numerous types of traps have been devised which effect the capture of animals without injury to the animal (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,478,605; 2,524,504; 3,975,857; and 4,682,440. Many of these traps have intricate designs that are therefore not suitable for manufacture on a large scale. In addition, even if a locking mechanism is provided, such mechanisms are also intricate and thus also unsuitable for manufacture on a large scale or simply do not adequately retain the captured animal or are cumbersome to operate by the user of the trap.
Consequently, a need continues to exist for an animal trap which is both safe and effective in the humane capture of animals, especially rodents, is readily manufacturable, as well as provides a simple and effective door locking mechanism. One such animal trap that provides many of these features is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/837,605 filed on Apr. 18, 2001 [agent ref. 0069.008], the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The present invention provides further advancements in the art, especially to the art of door locking mechanisms for animal traps.
The present invention provides methods and apparatus which address many of the limitations of prior art methods and apparatus. One aspect of the present invention is a door mechanism for an animal trap comprising: a door having a top and a bottom, the door pivotably mounted at the top to an enclosure and having a ledge, the door having an open position and a closed position; at least one bar pivotally mounted above the door; means for holding the at least one bar in a first position when the door is in the open position; and means for restraining the door in the open position; wherein when the means for restraining the door is released, the door pivotally deflects to the closed position and the at least one bar pivotally deflects to a second position whereby the at least one bar engages the ledge on the door and prevents the door from being opened. The at least one bar is preferably at least two bars. The first position of the at least one bar is generally horizontal and the second position is generally vertical. Typically, when the door is in the closed position, the ledge is generally horizontal. In addition, the means for restraining the door in the open position may typical be a linkage mechanism connected to a release mechanism.
Another aspect of the present invention is an animal trap comprising: an enclosure having a top, a bottom, side walls, and an entrance; a door having a top and a bottom, the door pivotably mounted at the top to the side walls adjacent the entrance and the door having a ledge; at least one bar pivotably mounted above the door; means for holding the at least one bar in a first position; means for restraining the door in an open position; and means for releasing the door when an animal enters the enclosure; wherein, when the means for restraining the door is released, the door closes and the at least one bar pivotably deflects to a second position and engages the ledge of the door and prevents the door from opening. Again, the at least one bar is typically at least two bars and the first position of the at least one bar is generally horizontal and the second position is generally vertical. Furthermore, when the door is closed, the ledge of the door is generally horizontal and the second position of the at least one bar is a generally vertical position and the end of the at least one bar bears against the ledge of the door to prevent the door from opening.
A further aspect of the present invention is a method of trapping animals using a trap having an enclosure and a door mechanism, the door mechanism comprising: a door having a top and a bottom, the door pivotably mounted at the top to the enclosure and having a ledge, the door having an open position and a closed position; at least one bar pivotally mounted above the door; means for holding the at least one bar in a generally horizontal position above the door when the door is in the open position; and a means for restraining the door in the open position, the means for restraining being operatively connected to a release mechanism in the enclosure; the method comprising: restraining the door in the open position; attracting a animal into the enclosure whereby the animal contacts and activates the release mechanism; closing the door; pivotally rotating the at least one bar from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position; preventing the door from opening by engaging the ledge of the door with the at least one bar. In one aspect, both closing the door and pivotally rotating the at least one bar is practiced using only gravity.
A still further aspect of the invention includes a trap for capturing animals exiting a cavity, the trap comprising: an enclosure having an entrance; and a conduit communicating between the cavity and the entrance of the enclosure. The cavity may be a building, a structure, a hole, a lair, a burrow, or any other type of enclosure. The trap preferably includes some form of transition piece positioned between the conduit and the entrance. The conduit is typically circular and the entrance is typically rectangular and the transition piece transitions from a circular shape to a rectangular shape. The trap may be used for capturing flying, for example, birds, and non-flying animals, for example, ground-dwelling animals, for example, rodents, squirrels, opossums, groundhogs, beaver, and snakes.
These and other embodiments and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon review of the attached drawings, description, and claims.